Angel Smith, a former contestant on Big Brother Naija, has disclosed a distressing incident where online trolls went to extreme lengths by creating obituary posters bearing her name during her participation in the 2021 “Shine Ya Eye” season of the reality show.
In a recent interview with media personality Hero Daniels, Angel candidly shared the traumatic experiences she endured due to her decision to openly discuss her mental health challenges during her time on the show.
Angel’s willingness to address her personal battles with mental health was an effort to raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding the topic. However, it resulted in her becoming the target of relentless online harassment.
In her own words:
“This season on Big Brother, I struggled to be vulnerable a lot because in ‘Shine Ya Eye’ 2021, I talked about my mental health and how much I struggled a lot, and they [trolls] started using it against me. I mean, there were all sorts of narratives that I’m a crazy person, I belong in a mental hospital….”
“It’s hurtful to hear those things. I saw a tweet in 2021, someone said, ‘Very soon she would soon ht herself.’ Because I spoke about self-hting. There were a lot of hurtful things I came back out to [in 2021]: People made obituary posters for me.”